Date: 21 Jan 1994 18:15:27 -0000
From: txpljfg at UABCVSR.cvsr.uab.edu
Reply-to: txpljfg at UABCVSR.cvsr.uab.edu
To: "bionet.immunology mail newsgroup" <bionet-news at daresbury.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Something unknowable in immunology? Simple logic?
txpljfg at UABCVSR.cvsr.uab.edu said
>I disagree with the assumption that antigen receptor generation is a
>completely random process, particularly in younger and fetal mammals...........
I agree with your viewpoint that receptor generation is not *completely* random, (I
actually said......."Since antigen receptor generation is *essentially* a random
process").
What I was driving at was the lack of evidence for pre-ordained types of *functional*
T cell receptor designed specifically to recognise particular common antigens. The
functional, MHC restricted, repertoire presumably arises by the generation of a huge
number of receptor shapes, most of which will be useless. Useful receptors must
therefore be generated (before selection) at random; ie there is no specific
mechanism in the *generation* of receptors (this is prior to selection) that makes
them intrinsically useful.
This is not the same as saying that the mechanisms of repertoire diversity generation
are random.
Dr. Colin R.A. Hewitt
University of Leicester/MRC
Centre for Mechanisms of Human Toxicity
Hodgkin Building
PO Box 138
Lancaster Rd
LEICESTER
LE1 9HN
U.K.
Phone +44 (0)533 525587
Fax +44 (0)533 525616
E-Mail crah1 at le.ac.uk.